Shopping cart

United States

New at Linux?

Need help deciding which Linux is the right one for you and your computer?

When you are new at Linux, and are looking to find your new Linux operating system, you will notice, that unlike Microsoft Windows, there exist hundreds of different Linux versions - also called distributions, and one can easily get in doubt, as to wich Linux to choose as a newbee. If a distribution is easy to access for Linux newbees, or if it takes some more "setup work", before you can get started, is different from distribution to distribution.

Therefor we have gathered some information below as a help in order to pick your first distribution.

Choosing your first distribution

Some will ask why there are so many different versions of Linux, and the best comparison that can explain it, is that it is just like it is with cars, There are cars for many different purposes, and many cars with the same purpos - the difference lies in the details. And

Because of the diversity in computerexuipment/hardware it is our expirience that there exist computers where for instance the sound does not work on the newest Ubuntu, but does work on the newest Mandriva. Then, if you only get to try Ubuntu, this can bring some to have the feeling that "Linux doesn´t work for me", and that is a shame conclusion, when there no problems would have been, had you only tried another distribution(*).

Userbility compared to Layout, design and functionality is dependent of you as a person, and, like it is with cars, something that is good for your neighbourg, would not nessesarily be good for you. You probably don´t have the same car eather :-)

One can newer say that there are just one distribution that is the best for all newbees to Linux. It depends, as mentioned above, on many factors, and therefor it would be best to have a couple to choose from, so that your chances of findng a Linux distribution that will work as you wish and with your computer(s), is far greater.

As a newbee to Linux we recommend that you start with a distribution like : OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Simply Mepis, PCLinuxOS or Mandriva.

We have gathered these in a ´Starterpack´, where we give you a 30% discount.

The mentioned distributions are characterized by being easy to install, and all the fundamental stuff, such as desktop environment, graphics, office, and browser applications are ready from the start in a graphical user interface, so that the system is straightforward to use.

*You must also remember that Linux, unlike Windows, comes with drivers for everything. It has the advantage that you do not have to find and download drivers for your computer equipment, and if you connect some new equipment to the computer, it will usually just work. A disadvantage, on the other hand, is that the Linux distribution you want to install MUST be newer than your computer, otherwise it has probably no drivers for all the equipment (hardware / chips) in your computer. So if you expirience that there are things that doesn´t work, then try a newer version of your distribution.